Page 50 - ELT_15th August 2020_Vol 373_Part 4

A126 EXCISE LAW TIMES [ Vol. 373

Safeguard Duty on solar cell till July, 2021
The Government has imposed Safeguard Duty on solar cells for one
more year till July, 2021 to protect domestic manufacturers and discourage cheap
imports from countries like China.
The move follows recommendation by Commerce Ministry’s arm Direc-
torate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for continued imposition of the duty.
[Source : The Indian Express, New Delhi, dated 31-7-2020]
Anti-dumping duty on 5 nations
India has put Anti-dumping duty on digital printing plates from China,
Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam for five years, aiming to guard domestic
manufacturers from cheap imports from these nations.
[Source : The Indian Express, New Delhi, dated 4-8-2020]

Customs busts illegal Agarbatti import racket
Customs Authorities seized 161.94 tonnes of incense sticks and 68.36
tonnes of incense sticks powder from Vietnam at the Chennai port, after they
found that a Bengaluru-based company was importing these materials under the
India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) without paying the 15% duty appli-
cable. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said in a statement on
30-7-2020 that the company, Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers, declared the goods
to be joss powder and premix powder for making incense sticks which do not
attract any duty under FTA with the ASEAN, a grouping that includes Vietnam.
[Source : The Economic Times, New Delhi, dated 31-7-2020]

Duty on digital printing plates from China, 4 others
India has imposed Anti-dumping duty on digital printing plates from
China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam for five years with a view to guard
domestic manufacturers from cheap imports from these countries. The Com-
merce Ministry’s investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies
(DGTR) recommended the duty after its probe concluded that there is a substan-
tial increase in imports of digital offset printing plates from these countries in
absolute terms. “The Anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall be
effective for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earli-
er),” the Department of Revenue said in a notification. The duty imposed is in
the range of $ 0.13 per sqm to $ 0.77 per sqm.
[Source : The Economic Times, New Delhi, dated 4-8-2020]

IRS Officer shunted out of Delhi Customs for delaying
clearance of surveillance equipment
Chief Commissioner of Customs in Delhi, Alok Tewari, has been trans-
ferred barely five months after taking charge. The reason, according to reliable
insiders, was that his Department delayed clearance of drone detection equip-
ment imported for a Government agency drawing ire of top brass in corridors of
power.
EXCISE LAW TIMES  15th August 2020  50